Darrel O’Shaughnessy, Men’s Sheds Lead from the Arnprior & McNab/Braeside Men’s Shed in Canada got in touch with the SMSA to highlight their latest video production.
The video entitled ‘Shedding a Little Light in our Community’ was filmed at their Shed in the Province of Ontario in close proximity to Ottawa (their nation’s capital). Their Shed is now almost three years old and has 38 members, and like our Scotttish Sheds, they are changing the lives of their Shedders.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, they are currently operating with 10 Members at any one time and continue to be very busy designing and developing Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) throughout the County of Renfrew.
Check out their video below to get a closer look at how they create a welcoming place where men can feel useful, have purpose, enjoy social connection and make a meaningful contribution to their community.
SMSA National Shed Zoom Meeting Thursday 21st January 2021 10am—1pm (estimated finish time)
**THIS EVENT HAS NOW PASSED AND WAS FULLY SUBSCRIBED**
Following on from the last National Shed Network meeting, the purpose of this event is to hear from Scottish Men’s Sheds on how the recent lockdown announcement has affected them and their plans going forward in 2021.
Join Jason Schroeder (SMSA’s Executive Officer) and Tim Green (Age Scotland’s Community Development Officer – Men’s Sheds) for this open discussion on:
SMSA is delighted to present Edition 18 (December 2020) of The Scottish Shedder to our members and supporters.
Inside this edition:
SHED IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Aboyne Men’s Shed Aboyne Men’s Shed’s Chairman, Mike Brooks, tells us all about their state-of-the-art new-build Community Shed now that construction has restarted following several months of shutdown and a completion date is in sight.
SHED IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Kirriemuir & Glens Men’s Shed The Scottish Shedder catches up with Robert Miller—Chairman of SMSA’s latest new Shed member, Kirriemuir & Glens Men’s Shed—to chat about the progress at their new Shed unit.
A PERSONAL JOURNEY: Bill Davidson, Aberchirder & District Men’s Shed Bill Davidson, of Aberchirder & District Men’s Shed gives us a sneak peek of their brand spanking new—all singing, all dancing—metal workshop which is now ready and waiting for the day its members return.
SHED PROJECT: Dalbeattie Men’s Shed’s replica vintage car project It’s full speed ahead as Dalbeattie Men’s Shed puts the finishing touches on their latest project— to recreate a replica of an original Dalbeattie-manufactured 1920s car—in time to celebrate its centenary.
And much much more…
What do you think of The Scottish Shedder?
SMSA is keen to hear what you think of the publication and has created an online survey to gauge your thoughts and opinions. Your feedback is appreciated to ensure we continue to meet the needs of our readership.
As part of the Scottish Government’s winter package funding to tackle social isolation and loneliness, the Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA) has secured vital funds to support Men’s Sheds in crisis in Scotland.
The £30,000 emergency pot will assist Sheds, most severely affected by the pandemic, that are struggling with financial pressures and/or facing closure to ensure they are still here to support Shedders when they are able to safely open their doors once again.
Jason Schroeder, SMSA’s Executive Officer, said: “SMSA is delighted to have secured this crisis grant funding for Scottish Men’s Sheds through the Scottish Government. Covid-19 forced our Sheds to close temporarily, calling a halt to much of their fundraising activities and this is impacting heavily on their income generation. This fund will support new and existing Sheds, large and small, to cover core running costs to offset this lost income. We will aim to help those Sheds in crisis to give them the peace of mind to ensure they are still here in the future when Sheds will be needed most.
“A huge area of concern is how this pandemic has impacted on people’s health and wellbeing and we need to ensure the survival of our Sheds for when men can attend them again, hopefully in the spring time. This funding has the potential to do so much good. We will strive to stretch it as far and wide as we can to prevent any closures.”
The fund is now open for SMSA Shed Members (click here to join for free) to apply online through the Association. Sheds can apply for core running costs (e.g. rent, heat and light, insurance etc) to keep them open in the upcoming months. Priority will be made to Sheds with an unrestricted funds bank balance of less than £1,000.
SMSA is delighted to present Edition 17 (November 2020) of The Scottish Shedder to our members and supporters.
SHED IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Cullen Men’s Shed The Scottish Shedder finds out more about the revamp of Cullen Men’s Shed and how one of its Shedders has returned to the building he first found a passion for woodwork and metalwork as a school pupil in the 1960s.
A PERSONAL JOURNEY: Bruce Newlands from The Inverclyde Shed The Scottish Shedder interviews Bruce Newlands—an award-winning architect and Chair of the Scottish ‘Men’s Shed of the Year’ 2020, The Inverclyde Shed—to hear all about his personal journey and what the future holds.
SHED PROJECTS: Cullen Shedder is full of bright ideas! Stan Slater from Cullen Men’s Shed has been busy in lockdown creating some unique lamps made from an old heating system.
MY JOURNEY THROUGH LOCKDOWN: David Davies of St Andrews Men’s Shed David Davies shares how he got through lockdown using new-found skills and mindfulness.
And much much more…
What do you think of The Scottish Shedder?
SMSA is keen to hear what you think of the publication and has created an online survey to gauge your thoughts and opinions. Your feedback is appreciated to ensure we continue to meet the needs of our readership.
The Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA) – in partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support – wants to hear from Shedders that have cancer, have had cancer or who are supporting or caring for someone with cancer.
Cancer doesn’t just affect the person; it also affects family members, friends, carers and communities. A life-changing diagnosis can influence relationships, finances, careers and emotions. Men’s Sheds offer an empowering place for men to come together voluntarily to make friends, re-engage with purpose, enjoy healthy lives and even learn new skills. Even though Sheds are temporarily closed, due to Covid-19 restrictions, these strong connections with fellow Shedders are still being maintained.
SMSA is looking to bring together a group of men willing to meet online to share their cancer experiences and stories. What helped most? What were the challenges/barriers? What type of cancer? What was missing on your journey? What improvements could have been made? All these real-life experiences, from a male perspective, will assist SMSA to develop effective resources and ultimately, save lives.
This invaluable information will be used to produce health-focused information leaflets and a series of animations for Men’s Sheds across Scotland to support men going through this journey. The aim of this project is to raise awareness of the impact cancer has in men’s lives (of all ages) and to encourage more men to be aware of it earlier on. The Shed is the perfect place for these conversations and for the knowledge to be shared.
Interested?
Please contact Jason Schroeder, SMSA Executive Officer, by email or call 07397382533.
The Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA) has released a Covid-19 poster resource pack for Men’s Sheds in Scotland.
The Association is still advising Men’s Sheds to remain closed however, this resource pack – currently containing 30 individual posters with colour or white background options – will allow Sheds to print off and prominently display the posters that they require for their Shed premises to prepare in advance.
The SMSA is in ongoing discussions with the Scottish Government regarding the closure of Sheds and the health and safety of Shedders during the pandemic. SMSA is currently working on the guidance (including risk assessment) for Sheds which will be issued at the appropriate time in line with Scottish Government guidance.
If you have suggestions for more posters required at your Shed premises, please contact SMSA’s Communication Officer and the pack will be revised for all.
The Scottish Men’s Sheds Association visited Foggie/Aberchirder & District Men Shed today (24th September 2020) to collect the Scottish ‘Men’s Shed of the Year’ targe trophy ready to handover to 2020 winner, The Inverclyde Shed.
ADMS was delighted to receive their replica trophy (created by David Young Training) to forever recognise them as the inaugural winner of the prestigious title in 2019.
‘MEN’S ‘SHED OF THE YEAR’ AWARDS 2020: And the winner is… Find out which of our three shortlisted Men’s Sheds (Garnock Valley Men’s Shed, Kinross & District Men’s Shed and The Inverclyde Shed) was crowned this year’s winner following a public vote.
SHED IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Moffat & District Men’s Shed The Scottish Shedder speaks to Keith Johnston of Moffat & District Men’s Shed about their recently acquired new larger Shed – with a lot of work to do – and discuss what their members are doing to stay connected during the pandemic.
A PERSONAL JOURNEY: Stuart Paton from Garnock Valley Men’s Shed The Scottish Shedder interviews Shedder Stuart Paton, 37, from Kilbirnie—in the Garnock Valley area of North Ayrshire—about how becoming a member of his local Shed helped turn his life around after being on the brink of suicide.
SHED PROJECT: Scottish ‘Men’s Shed of the Year’ targe base James Paterson of Aberchirder & District Men’s Shed (Scottish ‘Men’s Shed of the Year’ 2019) tells us all about the making of the base for the esteemed targe trophy ready to be handed over to the 2020 winner.
AND MUCH MORE…
What do you think of The Scottish Shedder?
SMSA is keen to hear what you think of the publication and has created an online survey to gauge your thoughts and opinions. Your feedback is appreciated to ensure we continue to meet the needs of our readership.
The public has voted and—after 1,579 votes and a very close race—The Inverclyde Shed has been crowned Scottish ‘Men’s Shed of the Year’ 2020 by the Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA).
It was neck and neck between the three shortlisted Sheds as the public voted online for their winner from Garnock Valley Men’s Shed, The Inverclyde Shed and Kinross & District Men’s Shed.
The Inverclyde Shed was announced as the winner—receiving 573 (36%) of the votes—at the SMSA AGM & ’Men’s Shed of the Year’ Awards 2020 on Wednesday 16th September on Zoom. Garnock Valley Men’s Shed came a close second with 511 votes and Kinross & District Men’s Shed was the second runner-up with 495.
Chairman of The Inverclyde Shed, Bruce Newlands, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have won this prestigious award and title. This shows a huge vote of confidence that there are really good people doing some really great things here in Inverclyde!
“It was encouraging to hear Aberchirder & District Men’s Shed share what they have gained from winning the SMSA award last year and we hope to be just as successful. We plan to really maximise the potential of this opportunity to further promote ourselves in our local community, and with funders, to expand our offering and attract more men along to our Sheds.
“It must be recognised that, although this is a competition, there is absolutely no rivalry with our fellow Men’s Sheds. Sheds are all at different stages and sizes and we have only been inspired, encouraged and supported by other Sheds to implement activities and ideas that have worked for them. We invested in a 3D printer after hearing about Kinross & District Men’s Shed creating face visors for frontline workers and launched a carving club after hearing about the success of the modellers’ club offering at Garnock Valley Men’s Shed. This award showcases the great work being carried out by Sheds across Scotland so we can share knowledge and ideas to improve the health and wellbeing of the men in our communities.”
The Inverclyde Shed was formally constituted in January 2018, offering a safe place for men to make friends, learn new skills and mentor others at its first 700sqft Shed at Captain Street in Greenock. The charity has grown from strength to strength and now has a board of six from a cohort of 45 active voting members and almost 500 associate members. The Shed expanded its offering to include a second 700sqft workshop space by mid-2019.
In March 2019, the Shed successfully secured funding from the National Lottery Community Fund to cover rent for the next five years. In August 2019, the Shedders took on the management of a community garden space in Gourock and were successful with a Community Asset Transfer – 25-year low cost lease request – for a 4,000sqft industrial unit in Greenock in March 2020. Renovation is targeted to start in May 2021 subject to success with the Scottish Government Regeneration Capital Grant Fund. The charity has also recently been able to open a smaller Shed focused on digital fabrication/distance working in Gourock, partly as a response to Covid-19 but also to attract a younger demographic.
The three finalists each received a cash prize from the SMSA; free or discounted Machine Competency and Woodwork training day from partner, David Young Training; and a year’s free Shed accounts package from Thyme Accountants to support the Shed Treasurer. The winner also received the esteemed targe trophy and a £100 voucher from partner, Axminster Tools & Machinery.
Last year’s winner, Aberchirder & District Men’s Shed (ADMS), will hand over the esteemed targe trophy at a physically-distanced handover in the near future. ADMS has been busy in lockdown designing and producing a unique stand for the trophy to be passed on to this year’s winner. ADMS received a surprise at the online awards event when they were shown a replica of the trophy, created by David Young Training, to display in their Shed to forever recognise them as the Awards’ inaugural winner.
